1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
Queen’s Garden Is about the life of Brenda Jean Aoki and her life growing up on the California. It follows through her childhood years, her experiences in highschool and college, delves into her adulthood as a teacher in the same town that she left. The play is a exploration of herself and what her heritage means when juxtaposed against the “other group” that lives in her town. It does this through situational drama and characters such as Kali, Aunty Mary, Sherry, and Smoke.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion is the moment when Brenda and Steve Newcomb kiss after school. Kali, of course, hears about this and beats the love out of Steve, When confronted by Kali, the differences between Kali and Brenda is revealed in a more open space than it has been in before, and their expected futures are shown to not match up at all. This is the beginning of the split in their paths and the shift in the play.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day where Brenda tells the audience her life story.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Does Brenda ever leave the Westside? How does her childhood impact who she is today? What will happen of her and Kali?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first type of exposition is information that everyone knows, and this can be represented by the story setting that Brenda introduces to us at the beginning of the story.
THe second kind of exposition is information that only one character knows when it is revealed, and this can be seen when Hai professes her love for Brenda.This helps explain a lot of Hai’s action throughout much of the play including staying by Brenda’s side whenever she needs her.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play is the Shootout at the end. From Brenda’s exuberant delivery in narration to the actual events of Kali’s and Smoke’s shootout, this is the moment the struggles in the play lead to. This is the climax and peak of action and is the point where Kali and Brenda are finally split.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
-Cycle of poverty and disenfranchisement -Ethnic Prejudice -Social Disparity
8. What does the narrator want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Brenda wants to leave the Westside and go to college, but she feels held down and trapped by her roots, and finds it very difficult to fully escape her past. From wished from Kali and her father to stay to the prejudices she faces just attempting to do better for herself, it seems as if there is always something in the way. This follows her to college and eventually leads her back to where she came from.
She also finds the need to attempt to break kids in the ‘12 O’clock school away from the cycle of being systematically disenfranchised in the westside, but as the play progresses she realizes that the students she teaches are almost certainly already indebted into a system that is almost impossible to break. This is also what inevitably ends Kali and Smoke near the end of the play.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Roses - The roses at the end of the play are a representation for blood. It gets harder for the reader to distinguish if red during the shootout is referring to roses or blood, and there blossoming year after year represents the cycle of violence the plagues Westside.
Hai’s Cups -The cups were the only thing that Hai had left from her family in Vietnam, and her sharing of the cups to Brenda represents the familial bond that the too share and her affection for Brenda.
Steve’s Ring vs. Smoke’s Writing - This represent the inner divide that BRenda has between her heritage and wanting to get out of Westside. She is both and neither at the same time here.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play. Besides the more obvious family relationship between Brenda and her family that gets mended by then end, there are other groups in this pay that work s a families. Kali and his ‘homeboys’ are as close a family. They always have each others back and can’t live without each other. Brenda also has the relationship of family with Hai, and they become very close throughout the play and for a strong portion are leaning on each other emotionally.
Queen’s Garden Is about the life of Brenda Jean Aoki and her life growing up on the California. It follows through her childhood years, her experiences in highschool and college, delves into her adulthood as a teacher in the same town that she left. The play is a exploration of herself and what her heritage means when juxtaposed against the “other group” that lives in her town. It does this through situational drama and characters such as Kali, Aunty Mary, Sherry, and Smoke.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion is the moment when Brenda and Steve Newcomb kiss after school. Kali, of course, hears about this and beats the love out of Steve, When confronted by Kali, the differences between Kali and Brenda is revealed in a more open space than it has been in before, and their expected futures are shown to not match up at all. This is the beginning of the split in their paths and the shift in the play.
3. What is the unique factor?
This is the day where Brenda tells the audience her life story.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Does Brenda ever leave the Westside?
How does her childhood impact who she is today?
What will happen of her and Kali?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first type of exposition is information that everyone knows, and this can be represented by the story setting that Brenda introduces to us at the beginning of the story.
THe second kind of exposition is information that only one character knows when it is revealed, and this can be seen when Hai professes her love for Brenda.This helps explain a lot of Hai’s action throughout much of the play including staying by Brenda’s side whenever she needs her.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment of the play is the Shootout at the end. From Brenda’s exuberant delivery in narration to the actual events of Kali’s and Smoke’s shootout, this is the moment the struggles in the play lead to. This is the climax and peak of action and is the point where Kali and Brenda are finally split.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
-Cycle of poverty and disenfranchisement
-Ethnic Prejudice
-Social Disparity
8. What does the narrator want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Brenda wants to leave the Westside and go to college, but she feels held down and trapped by her roots, and finds it very difficult to fully escape her past. From wished from Kali and her father to stay to the prejudices she faces just attempting to do better for herself, it seems as if there is always something in the way. This follows her to college and eventually leads her back to where she came from.
She also finds the need to attempt to break kids in the ‘12 O’clock school away from the cycle of being systematically disenfranchised in the westside, but as the play progresses she realizes that the students she teaches are almost certainly already indebted into a system that is almost impossible to break. This is also what inevitably ends Kali and Smoke near the end of the play.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Roses - The roses at the end of the play are a representation for blood. It gets harder for the reader to distinguish if red during the shootout is referring to roses or blood, and there blossoming year after year represents the cycle of violence the plagues Westside.
Hai’s Cups -The cups were the only thing that Hai had left from her family in Vietnam, and her sharing of the cups to Brenda represents the familial bond that the too share and her affection for Brenda.
Steve’s Ring vs. Smoke’s Writing - This represent the inner divide that BRenda has between her heritage and wanting to get out of Westside. She is both and neither at the same time here.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Besides the more obvious family relationship between Brenda and her family that gets mended by then end, there are other groups in this pay that work s a families. Kali and his ‘homeboys’ are as close a family. They always have each others back and can’t live without each other. Brenda also has the relationship of family with Hai, and they become very close throughout the play and for a strong portion are leaning on each other emotionally.